The Straw that Broke The Camel's Back
by Ren O'neil
Summary: Ten months after the Justice League is formed, the JLA is still figuring some things out. A misconception that needs to be revealed is locked away, causing pain. When the final straw falls, things collapse quickly.


I do not own the JLA or anything involved with them, except for plot, which is _my_ brain child!

* * *

The alien invasion that brought the JLA together happened in August. It is now early June and the JLA has fallen into a comfortable pattern. Weekly meetings Wednesday night, team practice Sunday morning, shifts in the Watch Tower, most covered by J'onn J'onzz (Martian Manhunter) or Diana (Wonder Women) but every has at least two shifts a week, getting together for holidays, birthdays, and special occasions (Batman typically covering the shift in the Tower), pair training days scatter around, and some sort of JLA work each day, though not everyone did every mission.

Even though, in the ten months that have passed since the invasion friendships have become rock solid, secrets shared, and teamwork is nearly flawless, one member remains distant. One member has kept themselves cut off from everyone. One member who has kept their secret, one member who the other like to talk about and speculate on. One member who everyone thinks they know.

The rest of the League think that they know _him._ They know _him_ as a stuck-up super powered, though they do not know what kind exactly, superhero who cares not an iota about the rest of the League or anyone else, for that matter. Wonder Woman says that _he_ was never blessed by the gods, like herself, so _he_ has to an alien or a human who has gotten powers. Green Lantern says that there are no aliens with his abilities that are humanoid or batoid in form, past or present, so _he _has to be a super powered human. Hawkgirl disagrees with Green Lantern and says that just because Lantern does not know, it does not mean that _he_ is not an alien. Superman says that in his eyes it is 50-50 for _him_ being an alien or super powered human. Flash says that _he_ is an alien that there is no way that someone as cold as _him_ is a human. Martian Manhunter stays out of the conversations about _him,_ and when he cannot, Manhunter says as little as possible. They are, with the exception of Manhunter, who does not care, dead wrong and they are about to find out.

_He_ does not care that they are wrong about _him_, in fact _he_ prefers it that way. _He _does not care that they are afraid of _him_, in fact he likes it that way. _He _does not care that they do not trust _him_, in fact whether they trust _him_ or not is of no importance as long as they follow _his_ plans. _He _does not care that they dislike _him_, in fact _he_ encourages it. At least that is what _he_ tells _himself_, because to admit that _he _wants them to know the truth about _him_, to trust _him_, to not be afraid of _him_, to like _him _is_ to show _weakness and that is something that _he_ can show no one.

_He_ knows that _he_ is mortal. _He _knows that _he_ will not last. _He _knows that _he _is running _himself_ ragged juggling three lives. _He _knows that the balance that _he_ has obtained between _his _three lives will end. _He _knows that eventually it will all end, and _he_ is scared. _He_ is a man in control and _he_ has no idea when or where everything will become out of_ his_ control. _He_ does not know when that last straw, the straw that broke the camel's back, will come tumbling down. _He_ will not allow it to fall during the day in Gotham, which is just another straw for no matter what the man does, that straw will fall where it will, when it will. _He_ knows that if _he_ shows one injury _his_ façade will collapse, that if _he_ is ever not in top form _he_ will be discovered, that if _he_ shows one crack, one moment of weakness _his _life is gone, that if _he _falls behind _he_ will fall.

Every hour, every minuet, every second brings _him_ that much closer to the truth coming out. _He_ is terrified and _he_ cannot slow the falling of the straws down, for _he _is…

The Batman.

And no matter what happens, he will not fail. He will not stumble. He will not allow anyone to see his wounded heart. He will not let the straws break him.

That is where he is wrong. That is what he will find out.

Everyman has a breaking point, every man will fail, every man will stumble, every man will break, even

The Batman.

* * *

Did you all figure out early on that the _he_ was Batman?

I would like your option about a few things. Is this good/bad? Why? Why do you think the rest of the JLA think what they do about Batman? I there anything that confuses you? What do you think will happen next?


End file.
